


What if...

by ConnorProject2K17



Series: Aladdin [2]
Category: Aladdin (1992)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-10 14:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12913713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConnorProject2K17/pseuds/ConnorProject2K17
Summary: As Jasmine left the room in a huff, Jafar watched her leave. She was so torn up over one street rat being executed, it made him wonder...





	What if...

Jafar watched the girl go, eyes narrowing in thought. After a moment, he ran after her, his robes flapping in the wind. He caught up to her in surprising speed, and stopped her in her tracks with his cane. He stared down at her, his chest heaving as he gasped for air slightly.

  
“Jasmine, I’ve got to ask. If you didn’t know this boy, had never seen him or spoken to him before, would you be as eager to save him?”

  
Jasmine glared at the taller man, her cheeks turning red in anger.

  
“It was wrong! He was innocent!”

  
Jafar clenched his fist slightly as she refused to see it his way.

  
“I know but just think, hypothetically, that you didn’t know if he was innocent or guilty, would you want him out on the streets with everyone else?”

  
Jasmine wondered this for a while, her stress slipping away from her. She had never thought of it that way. True, she knew Aladdin was innocent, but did Jafar? Did anyone else? From an outsider’s point of view, it did look a bit shady that the princess would disappear and then suddenly show up in a homeless boy’s home on the streets. She deflated slightly as she realized Jafar was right.

  
“I-I don’t know. I always thought that the law would decide who was guilty and who wasn’t.”

  
Jafar looked at the young girl, and was surprised at how little she knew. The princess had never shown any interest in politics before, and it was no great shock that she wouldn’t understand the ways of the law. But to be this naïve? He had to do something, and fast. The vizier felt a well of sympathy for the girl before him, he had spent his entire life dedicated to helping the city and aiding the Sultan in the right direction, and now to the daughter of the man he had helped for so many years had no clue about all of the effort and struggle was put into keeping the city in order.

  
“Jasmine, how many people do you think are made to look after the protection and peace in Agrabah?”  
“20? 50?” Jafar winced slightly at that. He knew she wouldn’t know, but it hurt to see all his hard work be ignored by this stupid teenager.

  
“Just 1. And it’s me.” Jasmine felt a wave of curiosity overtake her anger towards the man. She knew he was royal vizier, but she just thought that that meant advising her father in making decisions, not having to rule over all of Abrabah.

  
“What do you have to do?” The older man smiled mentally. It was nice to finally see someone taking an interest in what he does.

  
“I should take care of the security and law-abiding. But because of your fathers lack of… interest in his city, I have to take care of the politics too. And the trading, and the taxes and keeping peace with the other countries.”

  
“That’s not fair.” He was quite taken aback by this. He thought Jasmine had just wanted to ask a few questions, fill the curious gap that was in her, and then leave. She had never actually cared about him before, or his job.  
“No. It’s not. And when you’re older, you’ll have to handle all of that as well.” Jasmine was also quite shocked about what she had said. Although she didn’t like the man, she knew it wasn’t right to lay all of this work on him, especially if it was work her father should be doing. When she became Sultana, she’d have another vizier, like Jafar around to help her, but he won’t have to do as much work. The thought of so much responsibility and power had planted a little seed of doubt in her mind, and was wriggling further into her thoughts.

  
“Well, I’ll have someone to do all that for me.”

  
“Jasmine, your father said it better than I did: he won’t be around forever, and if you keep sending suitors away, suitors with an idea of how to run the city, then you’ll be on your own.” Especially if you behead me and Iago, he thought bitterly to himself. However, instead of becoming angry at her and arguing like usual, Jafar found he was enjoying the princesses company for once. She was interested with what he had to say and was taking it to heart, not just dismissing it like before.

  
“So I should get married then?” The seed of doubt had sprouted into an ugly flower, and its roots were suffocating Jasmine’s original plans. Suddenly, getting married didn’t sound like such a bad idea. She may not like it, but if it were for the good of the city…

  
“All I’m saying is that you need to take responsibility for your actions, the Sultan can’t keep funding all your parties with your little friends.” Despite never once going outside, Jasmine have some friends some neighbouring countries come over for sleepovers and to gossip. To Jasmine it had seem like perfectly normal fun, but now that she was a princess it seemed bit, well, ‘irresponsible and immature’ to quote Jafar after he had complained about the lack of control to her father.

  
“What can I do?” The question had just come out, no thought had really been put into it. The fear of letting the kingdom down, the responsibility of all that power and the thought of losing her freewill to do whatever she wanted, it had all gotten too much and she just asked on instinct.

  
“Well, I was just going through the complaints we’ve gotten from the East about the rise of their taxes. You’re good with people and I’m, well I’m not. Why don’t you read them and think of a subtle, nice way of telling them we can’t do it?”

  
“Why can’t we just lower the taxes?”

  
“We had a bad trade with the island of Pixar last year and we’ve lost the money we need to trade back again. And the East has the most money than anywhere else in Agrabah. It’s the best place to take it from.”

  
“I’ve never been any good in class.”

  
“Yes you have. I’ve seen you with your tutor, sometimes.”

  
“Yeah, but I’m not doing as well.”

  
“How do you mean?”

  
“I can’t pay attention in Literacy, Science is boring, and I can’t understand History or Geography and Maths is a nightmare!”

  
“When are your lessons?”

  
“Every Tuesday afternoon.”

  
“And what do you do after that?”

  
“I don’t know. Play with Rajah. Read. Nap.”

  
“Hmm… and all the other afternoons?”

  
“Usually the same. Why?”  
“Do you want to learn?”

  
“Maybe. The lessons are boring but if I don’t pick up my grades, the city will fall into despair!”

  
“I didn’t say that.”

  
“No, but you meant it.”

  
“Get up.”

  
“What? Why?”

  
“I need to show you something.”

  
“What about the letters?”

  
“How far are you until finishing?”

  
“I’ve almost done. About a paragraph to go.”

  
“Do you think you can remember it all?”

  
“I think so, I’ll keep it in my pocket.”

  
“Good, then follow me.”


End file.
